THE ANGLICAN Bishop of London has given his backing to a proposed new law that would place stricter requirements on companies to report their greenhouse gas emissions.Some companies already have to report on their impact on the environment, but the new provision, which was accepted by the Government in the House of Lords, would allow more companies to be included and for ministers to specify how the reporting should be done.
The Rt Rev Richard Chartres told peers during a debate on the issue on Monday, March 31, that the change would “put into the DNA of companies the consideration of something that, because our existing accountancy rules are retrospective and look at historical costs, has not, until comparatively recently, been part of the picture of practical management”.
During the final stages of the House of Lords debate on the Climate Change Bill, environment minister Lord Rooker accepted the amendment, which had received support from the Tories and Liberal Democrats.
Bishop Chartres said: “This amendment is entirely consonant with the way in which the general picture is developing. As has already been stated, it is permissive and shows direction of travel rather than being mandatory, so it does not tie the Government’s hands in an inappropriately specific way.”
He added: “I chair the Church of England’s Shrinking the Footprint campaign, which affects 18,000 of our churches and many other buildings.
“I know perfectly well that such measures as are described here are complex, but it is entirely possible to get compliance and make progress, even with an amazingly devolved and undisciplined organisation such as ours.
“This is an essential indication of whether the Bill will take advantage of an evolution in the general climate, particularly the climate that relates to how we account for our enterprises.”
The Bill, which will now be discussed by the House of Commons, imposes a target on the Government of reducing carbon emissions by 60 per cent between a baseline of 1990 and 2050.
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